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| Commodore |
What better time to think about sailing! The water is back up and our parking lots are full of sleeping boats on trailers. But in eight weeks or so, the ice will go out and the first owners will start the spring clean up and spit and polish process. Who will be first in this year? Some of our members have escaped south to sail big boats on warm salty water. Thanks Tom Moore for the pictures. If you have made a trip, let us know. I suspect that every winter ECSC is well represented in Florida, St. Thomas and other cruising grounds.
Dues statements are out. Don’t wait 'till the last minute. Almost every year, someone “forgets” to send in dues and then is upset to find out that they have lost a slip or other privileges. Deadlines are deadlines. We have two new Board members. Jane Schmidt and Tony Wright were appointed to fill open positions. Welcome. The next Board meeting will be February 12, 2008 at the Eagle Creek Office. Originally scheduled as an Executive Committee meeting, it has been changed to a full Board meeting. I know the various department heads are deep into planning for the year and we look forward to their reports. Spring is coming. 'Till then, hang in there....
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| Social |
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While I am writing this article, it is 13 degrees for the high temperature today. Hopefully, some of you have been able to travel to warmer climbs and soak up the sun a little! While we are waiting for sailing weather, we can be thinking about the upcoming sailing season at Eagle Creek and look forward to all that the Club has to offer. The social calendar for '08 has been set up again and work is already being done to insure that there will be something for everyone to enjoy! I will be posting a schedule for the upcoming year in the next edition. Until next time, be safe and stay warm!
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| Harbormaster |
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Winter Storage and Dues Due During the first week of December, Immediate-Past-Harbormaster and part time Floridian Bill Harrington and I completed the annual winter storage boat count. If your boat was on the grounds, you already received the bill. Which brings me to your dues, FEBRUARY 29th is when they are due. Pay them on time or you will be in Due-Due. The slip wait list is 57-members long, you do not want to be number 58, do you??? Do remember to get your dues in before FEBRUARY 29th...and do not assume your spouse is paying them!
Pumps
Work Party
Water Levels
Right: Hopefully no more problems like this for a few years!!!
US Sailing and Mount Gay Rum present Peter Reggio
Should be a great experience!!
Trailer Parking
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| Racing |
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I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chris Cunningham, Mike Irwin, and all who participated in last year's racing program. The success of the racing program is a direct result of the enthusiasm of its volunteers! We are looking forward to an exciting new year with the start of the season swiftly approaching. The January race meeting was a chance for racers and non-racers to meet, greet, and otherwise get reacquainted. It was great to see the 35 persons or so who attended. An outline of the spring and fall series races, regattas, and various other outings was presented. There will be two more preseason meetings at Sailboats, Inc., Wednesday, February 20th, and Wednesday, March 19th. Both will start at 6:50pm. Race meetings are informative and fun...and they are the best time to give input. The meetings are open to all club members, as we are currently looking for interested people to lend their expertise in various capacities. There will also be a Racing Work Party, Saturday April 5th, at 9:00am. This is scheduled in order to get the boats and equipment set up, make repairs as needed, and place the permanent race marks out on the water. So, whether you are new to sailing, or an old salt, sailboat racing can only help to improve your sailing skills. The novice racers, or "yellow fleeters," will be be paired with a more experienced mentor this year. And finally, this season will be our first without our saltiest dog, Rick Ahrbecker! His influence on our racing program over the decades has been tremendous. We will certainly miss his presence at the Club! Remember: All we wanna do is have some fun!
Left: Our current Race Shed. If someone would help with the donation of a new Race Shed, I'm sure Janet would be one really happy Skipper!
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| Catalina 22 Open House |
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ECSC Catalina 22 owners are invited to a C22 Open
House on Saturday, March 29 from 11am to 3pm at
the home of Rich and Denise Fox in Westfield (address
in ECSC Directory). No charge! Includes a catered lunch from Dick's Bodacious Bar-B-Q. We will share technical and rigging tips, make plans for the 2008 Great Lakes Cruise, discuss opportunities for C22 Get-a-way sailing weekends, and one-design racing. Please RSVP by Monday, March 24, 2008 (317-815-8599 or rich_fox @ yahoo . com). Call or write for directions.
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| Bailer's Tips & More |
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What to do during the deep of winter? I have learned from experience that it is not a good time to be a live aboard and also not a good time to reread Jack London’s White Fang…the Club is quiet and the wolves are hungry. I’ve been dabbling with Earth-friendly inventions. One of which has turned out pretty good so far...it is a fiberglass-burning stove. Heat is a must if you live aboard a boat on Eagle Ocean during the dark cold winter. So, I had the friendly harbormaster point out a few boats that had caused trouble throughout the year. Trouble like making fun of me for one, but in addition...well never mind, making fun of me pretty much tops the list. So if you visit the Club and your boat is partially missing, keep in mind that it is a lesson to you to treat others as you would like to be treated. Take pride that your boat is part of a grand experiment in how to burn fiberglass as an alternative fuel.
I walk the docks like it is a ghost marina. I gather my fuel and I work on my stove. I have discovered that if you put your sails up while tied to a dock, the energy can be harnessed and compressed...forcing oxygen into your fiberglass furnace. The use of old linens, tighty whities, etc are a great pollution filter. I am seeking a reasonable means of disposing of these filters. They were a danger to begin with, but are a further danger after having 26 feet of fiberglass boat filtered through them. My project is not perfect, but I always have next year to work on the problem. So, follow some guidelines and your boat shall be safe from my pursuit of knowledge.
Right: Emptied slips courtesy of The Bailer!
1: Watch the ice on the ramp, it is as slick as ice.
2: Pay your dues on time or you will be paying your dues in dry dock.
3: Thank the members who help. Thank the Commodore, the Harbormaster, and every board member. Thank everyone for our Club. Always remember, the thankless job if left to alone only, gains the reputation of being unimportant.
4: Say “Hey” to all your sailing kin because a rude sailor rates just below a rusty old turd.
5: Read the “Telltales,” it will help keep you out of trouble.
6: Remember the chair parties...bring a chair! It is time to live while we can and laugh with our friends. Chair parties are hip again. They were out of style for a couple of seasons, but now is the time to seize the day and bond with your friends.
7: Make friends at our Club? What a great idea! Sailing and talking about sailing. Relaxing in your state-of-the-art portable comfy chair, bonding with your friends old and new...this is not a tip, it is sound advice!
Sail on Sail on....
The Bailer
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| Members' News |
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Check out the sail to Key West made by four of our Club members. ================================================ From member Dick Lowe: Tomorrow, I embark on the beginning of a new life: “Retirement” So, out with the old, and in with the new! We are leaving to drive down to Mexico. Hinge-It has been sold to a company in St Louis (Whitney-Design) and hopefully they will be able to continue to raise the baby (which is now 20 years old) to adulthood and make it a major product line in the retail world. They are excited and I am excited about the prospects. It’s been a great ride for 20 years! Harriet and I have a new house on Isla Mujeres (www.casaflamboyan.com). We are also building a spec home on Tankah Bay in Tulum, Mexico...Villa Luminosa. So, we will spend time between Indy and Mexico. I am in the process of purchasing a 34' Gemini Catamaran which is a rehab project. So, it isn’t like we won’t have anything to do! If you are traveling to Mexico, let us know or come see us...it is a great experience! More for Dick Lowe richard @ casaflamboyan . com ================================================ Members Rick & Sandy Graef put together a video of some of the junior sailors from last season. Rick put it up on YouTube at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjN2lxkTW6M
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| Membership |
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2008 Annual Dues and Fees Statement were mailed out the 12th of January. If you did not receive it, please notify me ASAP. I haven't had any Statements returned to me as undelivered by the Post Office. Please be sure to use the address at the bottom of the statement for your returns as some have been delayed in reaching me due to the previous
membership chairman receiving them. Your paid dues and fees must be postmarked no later than Friday, February 29, 2008 (or in my possession before March 1st if delivered to me in-person), to be considered on time. WARNING! Members who pay late are removed from the Membership Database and their names dropped from the Wet-Slip Wait List. Wet-Slip owners who are late, will forfeit their wet slip. Upon receipt of all outstanding dues and fees, their name is reinstated into the Membership Database and placed on the bottom of the Wet-Slip Wait List. Barbara Andrews is helping out with this year's ECSC Annual Directory. The Directory should be mailed in early May. Thank you Barbara! Extra Special Thanks to Rich Fox for his continued guidance, support, and time in helping me get the Statements out...and with getting this Membership Chairman up to speed. Thank you Jane Schmidt for all your timely help. Number of new members in December and January: 0 Number of Members: 245
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| Safety & Education |
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Something to Think About Leadership Lessons From General Ulyesses S. Grant: 1. It’s alright to want something badly. But when you let it be known, you can’t bargain effectively anymore than if you want to win a poker hand by laying your cards face up on the table. 2. One of the worst mistakes you can make is to lie about what really happened. The great danger is not so much that others will believe your lies, but that you will believe them yourself...thereby preventing you from learning from your mistakes and avoiding making bigger mistakes in the future.
3. A supplier who can’t deliver as promised is not worth dealing with at any price. If you make the price your only consideration, it will almost certainly cost you more in the end. Contracts with suppliers should include performance standards as well as penalty and exit provisions for failure to meet those standards. 4. If for whatever reason you stop production, someone else will fill the void and you will never be able to fully recover your lost market share.
Right: Bob working on his Bob Cat 5. You will rarely, if ever, go wrong by relying on common sense. 6. Doing business with your competitor is like peeing into your own soup. Unless there is no other viable option, you are always better off to not do it. If you must do business with them, their access to your organization must be tightly controlled while you should seek to learn all you can from the loose-lipped in their organization. 7. The only color worth noting is the color of a person’s performance. 8. If you keep shooting the messengers, they will stop coming. 9. When the odds do not favor a quick success, it is foolish to try to achieve one. Sometimes the best path to follow is a slow, unglamorous one. 10. When you hold all the cards, you can call the shots. But you don’t need to rub their noses in it. Try to treat everyone with dignity and respect. 11. Don’t try to get people to do things that they believe run counter to their ethical principles...even if you have the best of reasons for wanting them to do so. 12. Once you’ve made a deal, stick to it. Some organizations have a reputation for always trying to change the terms they’ve previously agreed to. Large companies sometimes behave as though their size entitles them to take unfair advantage of their smaller business partners. If the deal turns out to be more expensive or more lucrative than contemplated, they’ll insist on changing the terms of the contract to their advantage. Honor your agreements and keep your word, so that others will want to do business with you.
S&E Goals for 2008 Your help with reaching these goals would be greatly appreciated!
ECSC Junior Sailing Team 2008
Right: How to keep The Bailer away from your boat.
This year’s juniors who are trying out for the team are: Also, on my maybe list are: Owen Branigan, Joe Lamberjack, Patrick Wurster, Patrick Gordon, Andy Davis, Destiny Thompson, Sam Dorsa, Steve Corya, and Krista Berkey. Sometime after the next board meeting (February 12th), I will schedule a junior meeting. I will E-Mail (or snail-mail) you the location and time. The hope is to have the 2008 calendar in place by then...along with other stuff that’s going on this year. Some dates may be found on the ECSC website under the Junior Sailing link. So guys and girls, start working out and reviewing the rules of sailing. This year, team ECSC will be HOT! We also have openings in our Junior Race-Fellow Scholarship Program. If you know of a non-member boy or girl who likes to sail...have them E-Mail me soon! ECSC has made a very large commitment in boats, coaches, and support equipment...not to mention the amount of time and effort expended by the junior’s parents to foster our sport of sailing. I wish to say “Thank You” to all of the Club members and our new board members for their support to this program.
Junior News Imagine yourself as a 16 year old who has taken sailing lessons for three or four months and finding yourself amongst over 650 junior sailors and as many coaches and parents in your first international regatta. The day after Christmas 2007 found one of our young sailors in nose-to-nose racing at the US Sailing site in Miami. Junior Jacob Hubbard, son of members Tony & Joyce Hubbard, made the trip. No results as yet. Good job, guy...
Last To Sail? With having low water and an early winter this past year, I didn’t see anyone out on the water over the end of year.
Note to ECSC Members: Work credits will be offered this year for assistance with this program!!
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| Sailboats, Inc |
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It’s a busy winter here at Sailboats, Inc. We appreciate all the work we have from the members of Eagle Creek Sailing Club. Already, we’re working a six-day week so boats will be ready when you are. We’re adding additional service personnel to meet the heavy demand later this spring. But, don’t let that be a reason not to schedule your work NOW if you haven’t already. Don’t forget, we also offer rigging and launching at the Club.
Very shortly, our on-line boat supply store will open. It will feature most maintenance, hardware, and electronic items. Sailing specific gear, line, and hardware will be added at a later date. Check our website www.sailboatsindiana.com towards the end of February...the store should be open by then.
Right: Club "Work" Party...which one is Eileen?? Many prices will meet or beat other major on-line stores. Plus, there are many more items to choose from that are not stocked at the shop. We will continue to have a good selection of blocks by Harken and Ronstan, line by Samson, Marlow, and FSE Robline, other sailing specific parts, and SS hardware. We can order just about anything, including Quantum racing and cruising sails, furlers, winches, and more. Our new line of boats (Hobie Cat) will arrive soon. New fiberglass and rotomolded boats will be on display at the shop in March. We have Lasers, Sunfish, Open Bic, and the Hunter 140 ready now for immediate delivery. A few new 2007 models from Hunter, Catalina, and Precision remain at last year's prices and our 2008’s will be here soon. Also, a new line of boats from Vanguard (maker of the Laser and Sunfish) called Bahia Sport and the Vago XD will be here by spring. If you’re thinking pre-owned, we have a great selection of used boats right now, too. In January, six boats were added to our brokerage listing. It’s a great time to buy or trade up to a bigger boat. Have the winter blahs, then come to the February 20th race meeting here at Sailboats, Inc. Get in the mood for spring sailing. Our new Key West color scheme should brighten your day.
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2008 Social Calendar, Click Here.
2008 Racing Calendar, Click Here.
2008 Overall Club Calendar, Click Here.
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| Click to view Sailboats, Inc's website. | |
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| Click to view Old Bob's website. | |
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| Eagle Creek Sail Club ECSC Home Page |
